Five golden rules for manoeuvring

Expert yachtsmaster Bill Johnson releases his book Manoeuvring: At Close Quarters Under Power this week. We asked the long-distance sailor, who stopped logging miles somewhere around the 50,000 mark, for his five golden rules for manoeuvring under power.

Bill says: Picking out just five rules is a bit of a challenge but perhaps these are the top guidelines to remember:

1: Use the tide

Always arrive at, and depart from, the berth or mooring against the flow of the tide – if there is any tide at all.

If you go in the same direction as the tidal flow, while the yacht is moving forward it may nevertheless be stationary in the water – so completely unable to steer with the rudder. This is likely to make manoeuvring tricky.

If you go against the flow of the tide – and this may mean going astern, particularly when leaving a visitors’ pontoon – you will be in complete control with the helm all the time. You can also use the tide to your advantage: you can approach the berth or mooring as slowly as you like, or ‘ferry glide’ across the tide to get into (or out of) a tight berth sideways.